Process of manufacturing cotton-combs.



.No. 876,358. PATENTED JAN. 14. 1908.

1 R. JOWETT.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING COTTON GOMBS.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.17. 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS ca, wasmun'ron, a c.

.No. 876,358. PATENTED JAN. 14. 1908.

R. JOWETT.

I PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING COTTON GOMBS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17. 1907 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nnnnnnnnngw/mm/ No. 876,358. PATENTED JAN. 14. 1908. R. JOWETT.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING COTTON GOMBS.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 17. 1907- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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RALPH J'OWETT, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING COTTON-COMES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Applic ti fil d January 17. 1907. Serial Ne..352.699.

To all whom it may concern:

I Be it known that I, RALPH JowErT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Processof Manufacturing Cotton-Combs, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to an improved process of manufacturing cottoncombs and assembling the needles forming the combteeth so that thepoints are all pointing the same Way; spacing the needles; alining thepoints; and securing the needles to the comb-back;

The accompanying drawings show the method by which my improved processis carried out. p

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of a series of troughs in whichthe comb needles are placed at the beginning of the process. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 3, showing the box inwhich the various separate troughs are placed. Fig. 3 is a cross sectionof the 'box giving an end view of the various troughs, said crosssection being on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectionalview of the inclined receptacle into which the needles are transferredfrom the troughs shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of thesame. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the receptacle shown in Fig. 4on the line 66 of said Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view partlybroken away of the perorated bar for catching the needles as they slidedown the inclined receptacle shown in Figs. 4 and 5, showing a pluralityof needles therein. Fig. 8 is a cross section of the member shown inFig. 7, showing the projecting needles. Fig. 9 is a top or plan view ofthe device for holding the needle catcher for subsequent operations.Fig. 10 is a section on the line 10-1O of Fig. 9, with the partsarranged as shown in Fig. 9, or separated. Fig. 11 is a view similar toFig. 10 with the parts compressed or in closed position. Fig. 12 showsthe needles with the oints all extending in the same direction. .ig. 13shows two clamps, one for holding the needle holding strip and the otherfor seizing the needles and withdrawing them from said strip. Fig. 14shows the two clamps disclosed in Fig. 13, in the closedposition. Fig.15 .shows the method of alining the needles. Fig. 16 is the comb withthe needles in position thereon. cross sectional view thereof. Fig. 18is a view of a separate form 01 soldering iron em ployed 'l'or solderingthe entire comb-full of needles at a single operation. Fig. 19 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 14 illustrating the modifications required when a doublerow of needles is to be soldered. Fig. 20 is'a perspective view of aportion of the needle bar when a double row of needles is attachedthereto. Fig. 21 is a perspective view of a portion of the upper clampmember. Fig. 22 is a perspective view of a portion of the lower clampmember, and Fig. 23 is a perspective view of a portion of the clampingdevice.

Throughout the various drawings the same parts are represented by thesame letters.

In Fig. 1,a is a member of nearly rectangular eross section having thetriangular troughshaped depression a, and provided at each end with theprojecting pins (L This member a. is in reality a species of countingdevice, as I have established by experiment the fact that the triangulardepression a will hold a certain definite number of needles when filledas full as it can be filled, and that all surplus needles above adefinite number will roll 011'; thus each successive trough-lull willcontain approximately the same number of needles. 'Ihe box I), Fig. 2 isarranged to hold a number of these troughs a side by side, the ends ofthe box I) being slotted at ()Z/, seen best in Fig. 3, for theaccommodation of the projecting pins a of the troughs e,.these pinsserving as handles to the trough. The receptacle b, Figs. 4 and 5, isdivided into sections, and the contents of a single trough a issullicient to [ill to the necessary extent one section of the box (Z,each section receiving approximately the same number of needles. Thisbox d contains at its-lower extremity a depression or pocket 1) shown inFig. 4, and the member (2, Fig. 6, is adapted to fit into said pocket.This member a is shown enlarged in cross section in F 8, and

consists substantially of a bar of brass or other suitable material ofrectangular crosssection and containing a plurality of perforations eenlarged in Fig. 7. The number of these perforations corresponds to thenumber of departments or sections of the box (I, and the thickness ofthe member a in the direction of the perforations is slightly less thanthe length of the comb needles, so that the comb needles when insertedin said per- Fig. 17 is a forations project slightly beyond the face ofconsisting of adding an offset to the upper the member 6 as shown in 0in Fig. 8. The cross section of these perforations is less in size thanthe length of the needles, so that the latter remain in parallelrelations therein. The partitions d of the box (1 are not all of thesame height but a high and a low partition alternate as shown in Fig. 21and the distance between two high partitions is so arranged as to beless than the length of the needles 0 thus facilitating .the depositingof the needles lengthwise in the bottoms of the sections and preventingtheir remaining lodged on the tops of the partitions.

The letter 0 throughout the various drawings represents the combneedles.

Figs. 9, and 11 represent a plan view and cross sections of a frame g-g,the mem ber 9 being fixed to the frame or table 72/, while the member gis movable and may be brought in contact with the member 9 by means ofthe screw i and the nut j. The length of the frame gis sufficient toaccommodate the member 6 as shown in Fig. 9. ff arestrips of soft woodloosely fitting in suitable depressions in g g in such a position thatthe respective edges of f f are opposite the comb needles in the member0 when the bar is inserted in the frame. In Fig. 12,f represents one ofthe said. strips of soft wood with the comb needles 0 inserted therein.Figs. 13, 14 and 15 are clamps used for transferring the comb needlesfrom the soft wood strips fto the permanent back of the comb m Fig. 16.

k7c is a special form of clamp or vise of cast iron or other suitablematerial capable of being brought together by the screw 7c, the lowermember 75 having an offset running the whole length thereof.

Fig. 1a shows a strip f containing the comb needles 0 held securely inone clamp while the remaining clamp consisting of the jaws ZZ is closedupon the heads of the comb needles. The offset It" in the clamp 7c 7c isusedv for the purpose of alining the points of the comb needles as shownin Fig. 15. The face of the offset is corrugated .or indented withparallel grooves spaced to conform to the spacing of the comb needleswhen the latter are in permanent position on the comb as shown in Figs.22 and 23, and the faces of the jaws of the clamp ZZ are similarlyindented.

Fig. 16 shows the needles 0 placed in position on the back of the comb mwhich is composed of metal, preferably brass or tinned iron, shown incross section in Fig. 17 Fig. 18 is a modified form of soldering-ironcapable of soldering the needles upon the entire comb or even on two ormore combs at once.

Fig. 19 shows a modification of the clamp 7c 7 for the purpose offorming combs with a double row of needles, this modification member ofthe clamp similar to that of the lower one hereinbefore described. Bythis modification shown in Fig. 19 the alternate teeth c c are placed onopposite sides of the strip thus forming two rows of needles. Theneedles are then clamped securely in the clamp 7c7c and while held inthat position the blunt ends or heads of "the needles are placed uponthe comb-back m and soldered in position. Figs. 22 and 23 arerespectively a plan and front view of the offset 7.3 showing theparallel grooves or corrugations for the reception of the needles.

The operation of my invention I will now proceed to describe. The box 6containing the troughs a Fig. 1, is supplied with needles in bulk, aslight sifting motion of 19 causing them all to be distributed evenlythroughout. The perforated member (3 is then placed in the depression atthe bottom of d and one of the troughs a is then taken from box I) andbeing held over the receptacle (Z is tilted sidewise, each sectionreceiving approximately the same number of needles, which instantlyslide down toward. the member 6 until the perforations e are chargedwith the needles. The member 6 filled with comb needles projecting headsand points indiscriminately, is then placed in the frame gg, the combneedles, heads and points, being shown at cc. The soft wood strips ffare placed in position and the members gg brought together by the screw1 This forces the projecting points of the comb needles into the softwood strips The members gg are then separated and the two strips removedwith the comb needles fastened therein as shown in Fig. 12, and one ofthe strips with its needles adhering therein reversed in position, thepoints being now all in one direction. One of the strips f-f is thensecured in the clamp lrlc and the clamp ZZ applied. The closing of thejaws of ZZ on the needles serves at the same time to space the needlesproperly by means of the indentations or depressions in the faces of thejaws, any empty spaces being readily filled by hand. Then ZZ is firmlyclosed on the needles, they are taken from the strip of wood f by ZZ,the latter being held preferably on centers applied to the ends of thehinged back, and the points are then brought in line by pressing thesame against the back of the oflset 16 Fig. 15. The depth of the offsetk is so slight that when the members of 7c7c are brought together by thescrew 7r the needles are held securely and all properly spaced andalined. ZZ then releases them and they are applied by 7c 70 to the backm of the comb, and prepared for soldering. This is done by the specialsoldering-iron n Fig. 18, corresponding in length to the comb, orthenumber of combs to be soldered at once. The iron is heated its fulllength and applied to the needles with a suitable solder until thelatter flows; the iron is then removed and the operation is complete.The same operations are employed in the making of the double rowed combshown in Fig. 20, the only difference being that the points of alternateneedles have to be adjusted on opposite sides of the strip of wood fbefore being applied to the back of the comb m. As the needles are madeof-very fine steel wire, the heads are easily brought flatly in contactwith the comb-back while the points, in two se arate rows, are beingheld in the clamp k Fig. 19. After soldering, the points remain in twopermanent rows While the heads are held flat on the combback by thesolder.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is The method of manufacturing cotton combs consisting inarranging the requisite number of needles in parallel masses,transferring each of the masses of needles to a receptacle of less depththan the length of the needles, forcing penetrable members against thepointed ends of the needles, clamping the needles in uniformly spacedrelations, and applying the needles to a backing member in position forsoldering.

In testimony whereof I al'lix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RALPH JOVVETT.

Witnesses:

CUR'rIs M. LovELAoE, JAMES L. JENKs.

